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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — a cup
  6. file — a document
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a line of people
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — of water
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — electric
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com